PM Trudeau Doubles Size of Student Summer Job Program

Toronto, ON, Canada / Talk Radio AM640

Posted: February 12, 2016 03:21 pm

For students heeding parental advice to “get a summer job,” it’s about to get a bit easier. On his one hundredth day in office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government would be doubling the size of the Canada Summer Jobs program, extending it to 34,000 new students.

The program is available to students between the ages of 15 and 30 who studied full time the year prior and intend to return to school the following fall. The program subsidizes wages offered by private and public sector employers, including non-profits.

Non-profit employers receive a 100 per cent subsidy on the wages, while small businesses and public sector employers have to offer up half of the paycheck, based on provincial minimum wages.

Trudeau said that the change better positions youth as “not just leaders of tomorrow, but as leaders today.”

“Yes we’re building a stronger future for them but we’re also building a stronger present,” he said at the announcement..

Last year just over 34,000 students participated in the program, which cost $106 million. Trudeau said that his government will invest an additional $113 million over three years.

Trudeau campaigned heavily during the election to court the youth vote, which he won handily. At the funding announcement, he reiterated his support for the demographic.

“Not only is this good for them, it’s good for the broader economy now and in the years to come,” he said. “Great things happen when young people are given an opportunity to shine. I believe it because I’ve seen it.”